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"So, you are Uchiha Shisui?" Madara looked him up and down and smiled. "Your eyes are quite impressive."
"You flatter me."
Shisui's face still wore a somewhat shy smile.
"What a pity."
Madara bluntly added another comment.
"Those were all my own choices. Whether right or wrong, there's nothing to regret."
Shisui's gaze was calm.
"You probably never expected Itachi to act the way he did after your death, did you?"
Izuna asked curiously.
"Indeed, I didn't," Shisui replied with a bitter smile. "But I don't blame Itachi. He was still young at the time, yet he carried far too much weight on his shoulders."
"You weren't much older yourself," Izuna observed.
Shisui still retained the appearance he had at the time of his death—a boy of only sixteen or seventeen.
"True," Shisui said self-deprecatingly. "That's why I was foolish enough to believe I could change things all on my own. I suppose that's the recklessness of youth."
"Have you come to understand things now?"
The Great King Enma spoke up.
"I have," Shisui replied with a bright smile. "Especially after speaking with my grandfather earlier in the Hall of Judgment."
"Uchiha Kagami?" The Great King Enma mused. "He turned out to be quite different from what I had previously heard of him."
"No, during his lifetime, my grandfather was likely just as you'd heard—a devout believer in the Will of Fire," Shisui shook his head. "But… his death was likely related to Danzō… as was my father's."
Izuna's left eyebrow shot up in disbelief. "Are you saying… three generations of your family all fell into the same man's hands?"
He felt like he was about to be driven mad by the sheer foolishness of these naive people!
"Yes." Shisui smiled bitterly again. "Now I understand. The Uchiha have always acted with the mindset of shinobi, never truly engaging with politics. Yet we failed to realize that even though Konoha is a shinobi village, it is still deeply entwined with political machinations."
"Itachi has been studying politics for a long time now," the Great King Enma said as he handed Shisui a stack of signed documents. "He's even planning to write a book."
"Really?" Shisui accepted the files with both hands, his face lighting up with joy. "That's wonderful! I'm so glad Itachi has moved on from the past and found a new purpose."
Izuna chuckled. "Kaito thought his previous actions lacked coherence because he hadn't read enough, so he sent him a pile of books."
"That's good too."
Shisui seemed genuinely happy as he bowed deeply to the Great King Enma.
"Then, if you'll excuse me, I'll get back to work, Your Majesty."
With that, he turned and descended the platform, files in hand.
"This kid's personality seems more adaptable than Itachi's," Izuna mused, stroking his chin as he watched Shisui's retreating figure. "And his talent was greater. What a waste."
"His soul's aptitude is indeed among the finest," the Great King Enma remarked. "Otherwise, he wouldn't have possessed a dōjutsu like Kotoamatsukami."
Madara smirked. "So, you think highly of him?"
The Great King Enma nodded. "In the Pure Land, the quality of one's soul is what matters most. Though his current strength here is still lacking, that's only because he died too young. In time, who knows how far he'll go?"
"Heh. Interesting."
Madara smirked and turned toward the steps.
"Since everyone's busy, Izuna and I will take a walk on our own."
"Very well." The Great King Enma remained bent over his paperwork. "Kaito will summon you when the time comes."
---
The Living World.
Allied Shinobi Forces Camp, Outside Amegakure.
The four Kage (excluding Tsunade) had gathered in private.
Inside a spacious tent, the four sat cross-legged in a circle.
The atmosphere was heavy with silence, their expressions grave.
Finally, Ōnoki, the eldest among them, let out a sigh and spoke first.
"It's good to live a long life," he said self-deprecatingly. "You get to see all sorts of strange things."
The other three looked at him but remained silent.
Unfazed, Ōnoki continued, "At my age, I've only just realized that I still don't truly understand the world."
"What about you?" He lifted his drooping eyelids and studied the others, then chuckled. "Seems you youngsters aren't handling this any better than I am."
A scowled. "Enough with the nonsense, Tsuchikage! The priority now is figuring out how to handle tomorrow's discussion with Uchiha Kaito!"
"He's right, Lord Tsuchikage," Mei said, brushing aside a strand of hair that had fallen over her eye. "Our circumstances align, so our stance should too. We should agree on a plan beforehand."
"Are we just going to let Uchiha Kaito dictate everything?" A clenched his fists in frustration.
At this, Ōnoki's eyelids drooped further, his face sagging with weariness. "Then what do you propose?"
"For some so-called 'Ōtsutsuki' threat that may never come, are all our villages supposed to submit to a man who isn't even a shinobi?"
A's eyes blazed as he growled in a low voice.
"We must make it clear—if these Ōtsutsuki ever appear, of course we'll fight. But as things stand, he can forget about meddling in our villages' affairs!"
"Aren't you overreacting, Lord Raikage?" Mei turned to him. "Kaito's intention is surely just to form an alliance against the Ōtsutsuki."
"Naïve!" A snapped, glaring at her. "With the moral high ground on his side, whether Uchiha Kaito has ambitions of domination or not, we must take precautions!"
"This…"
Mei hesitated, privately acknowledging that A had a point. She glanced back at Ōnoki.
The old Tsuchikage lowered his gaze and spoke slowly. "Let's not forget—we shinobi are merely armed forces employed by the daimyō. As Kage, we don't have the authority to decide many matters of state."
"What are you implying?"
A's expression twisted in shock. "Are you saying Uchiha Kaito's real goal is to unite the shinobi and overthrow the daimyō?"
"Impossible!"
Mei gasped.
"But you can't deny the possibility, can you?" Ōnoki's sharp eyes locked onto the other Kage.
At that moment, the aged weariness in his round eyes vanished, replaced by a piercing intensity.
"Well?" he murmured, voice low. "The moment you heard that idea… didn't you feel even the slightest temptation?"
"Nonsense!" A slammed his fist down. "The shinobi's way has endured since ancient times—we cannot allow it to be undermined!"
Ōnoki remained unfazed by his outburst. Instead, he chuckled dryly, meeting A's glare head-on.
A held his ground, retorting sharply, "Or is it that you, old man, have other ideas?"
*****
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